Arsenal's star man is being linked with Real Madrid but Don Balon now report that Van Gaal wants to rival the Spanish giants and land the Chilean.

The Manchester United boss would reportedly pay £53m for Sanchez and has reportedly already contacted the player to let him know his plans to bring him to Old Trafford next summer.

Sanchez has been a revelation in the Premier League since arriving from Barcelona in a £35m deal in 2014.

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Luka Modric/James Buckley

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RED HOT: Sanchez is one of the best players in Europe

Don Balon claim that Sanchez would not be willing to betray the Barcelona fans and join Real but would be interested in joining the Red Devils - which would be seen as "a big step in his professional career".

Arsene Wenger is strongly opposed to letting their best player go and will try convincing the former Udinese ace to stay in north London and have a team built around him.

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TRANSFER BATTLE: Van Gaal (left) reportedly wants Wenger's star man

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PRECEDENT: Fabregas (left) and Van Persie left Arsenal

But the Gunners do have a precedent of selling star men to rivals, with Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie just three examples from recent times.

The attacking midfielder has 22 goals in 47 Premier League matches for the Gunners and scored as they trounced Aston Villa 4-0 in the FA Cup final in May.